One of the biggest examples of the game of school happened when I was trying to break students away from the game of school. In an activity, I had students write predictions about what was going to happen during an experiment before carrying it out. As I walked around the room I realized that 3/4 of the students either weren't writing predictions before carrying out the investigations or, and this was the more common of the two, were changing their predictions to fit what happened. The worry over getting a wrong answer and are more interested in getting the right prediction and being done fast that they don't take the time to reflect on misconceptions.
Another example of the game of school occurred this past week. The first quarter is winding down, and my CT gave students a list of missing assignments that would allow them to pass the quarter/improve their grade. In this time, students who have turned in very few assignments are asking her what they have to do to get a "c" or a "b" or an "a", depending on the student's interest or commitment to school.
I think that creating a culture where wrong answers, especially when being incorrect occurs during predictions, are acceptable will help break up the game of school. If students are told that self reflection and honest examination of misconceptions is more important than being correct the first time, it will not only help stop the game of school, but also promote learning through discussion/debate, and start students thinking as scientists. I also think that in the future I will make predictions an "entry ticket" type activity where they will have to show it to me and write in pen.
I am very torn on my teacher's approach. I think that ensuring that students pass the first few quarters is important, however, it teaches students nothing about hard deadlines and good study habits. If students get used to the idea of being able to scramble and submit all of their work at the end of the semester, what is the incentive to get it done on time. In a more recent class we were discussing weighted averages. The teacher used not doing a project as an example. This would drop a student's grade from 91% to 78%. Upon finding this out, multiple students said, "Wow, that's still a C, which would let me graduate." This statement is a great summation of the game of school. I feel like if students are only looking to graduate, teachers have already failed at making school authentic and at showing students the importance of learning.
Another example of the game of school occurred this past week. The first quarter is winding down, and my CT gave students a list of missing assignments that would allow them to pass the quarter/improve their grade. In this time, students who have turned in very few assignments are asking her what they have to do to get a "c" or a "b" or an "a", depending on the student's interest or commitment to school.
I think that creating a culture where wrong answers, especially when being incorrect occurs during predictions, are acceptable will help break up the game of school. If students are told that self reflection and honest examination of misconceptions is more important than being correct the first time, it will not only help stop the game of school, but also promote learning through discussion/debate, and start students thinking as scientists. I also think that in the future I will make predictions an "entry ticket" type activity where they will have to show it to me and write in pen.
I am very torn on my teacher's approach. I think that ensuring that students pass the first few quarters is important, however, it teaches students nothing about hard deadlines and good study habits. If students get used to the idea of being able to scramble and submit all of their work at the end of the semester, what is the incentive to get it done on time. In a more recent class we were discussing weighted averages. The teacher used not doing a project as an example. This would drop a student's grade from 91% to 78%. Upon finding this out, multiple students said, "Wow, that's still a C, which would let me graduate." This statement is a great summation of the game of school. I feel like if students are only looking to graduate, teachers have already failed at making school authentic and at showing students the importance of learning.